


A Gift of the Galaxy

by Young_Professer



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Shatterpoint - Matthew Stover
Genre: Fluff, Force Bond (Star Wars), Mace kills some pirates and finds a baby, Sort of anyway, Space Pirates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-15
Updated: 2020-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:02:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23158234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Young_Professer/pseuds/Young_Professer
Summary: "Depa Billaba had come into my life by accident, one of those joyous coincidences that are sometimes the gift of the galaxy." - Shatterpoint by Matthew Stover
Relationships: Depa Billaba & Mace Windu
Comments: 6
Kudos: 38
Collections: Mace Windu Fandom Safe Space





	A Gift of the Galaxy

**Author's Note:**

> Now edited to fix most grammar mistakes.

Mace Windu knew he was good at many things. After all, one did not get knighted at nineteen and immediately be sent on a months-long independent mission because they were solidly average. But there were areas he did not excel in as well, and even though he had passed his trials Mace still felt that the force was testing him, particularly his patience.

He had been alone in a small freighter for the last standard cycle, attached to the side of an asteroid on the edge of an asteroid field waiting for a certain ship to pass through the system. It wasn't due for another cycle at least, but the planet Mace had been on before had been… less than ideal to stay on unless he wanted to get hunted by some angry crime lords.

Technically they were probably still hunting him, he was simply in another system.

Mace snorted to himself, amused by the thought. He had submitted an update to the council with information about the hierarchy of evil organizations on Kdshlohd, so they would sooner have much bigger problems at their hands.

He stared out the viewport at the stars that rotated excruciatingly slowly as the asteroid floated. He was getting restless, the untouchable itch for action just under his skin driving him mad. But he would have to be patient.

"A Jedi does not look for conflict." His Master had told him tens of times. "A Jedi waits for the Force to move them to where they are needed."

So Knight Windu waited.

And waited. 

And waited

And waited.

Then the force pushed on his hands so suddenly he almost fell out of the chair. He moved with the instinct, pulling up the ships comm and opening the channel to all lines. S

Then a distress signal blared at him, coming from an L-Tram, merchant class vessel on the other side of the asteroid field. The message read only one thing: Under Attack.

Then as quickly the signal started it started it cut off. He waited again, and another message flashed across the screen.

Signal triggered on accident. Ship is not under attack. Apologies for the false alarm..

The force told Mace that it was no accident. This part of the mid-rim was not known for being a safe place to travel. It was pirates, probably, and those he was more than glad to deal with.

He detached the ship from the asteroid and gunned the engines, letting the force guide him through the asteroid field. It took him a few minutes to get across, and as soon as he was out of the danger zone Mace saw the L-Tram. It was attached to a ship that was armed with a few turrets and painted red and orange; clearly a pirate vessel.

He stretched his senses towards them and was met with the particular pang of mass death radiating from the merchant ship. So they were those kinds of pirates.

He clenched his jaw, knowing that the criminals were showing no mercy, so neither would he. But there was something else too, a silver cry of distress through the force that pierced directly into his mind and held his attention. Something- No, _someone_ needed him.

Mace maneuvered his own ship so the nose was touching the connection between the other two and eased ever so slowly on the engines. The durasteel bent until the pressure seal broke. The pirate ship's emergency docking seal activated immediately to keep air and passengers from being sucked out. But the pirates left on the merchant ship were not so lucky, and crates and a singular body went flying out into space.

Mace ignored them, piloted his own ship to dock next to the merchant vessel and leapt out of his seat, calling his saber to his hand.

He could sense about twenty life-forms aboard this ship, but only one radiated the flare of desolation that pulled him in. The rest of the innocent were dead.

Mace put all the anger he felt into a wordless shout as he sprung into the other ship, falling into form V and taking out the first pirate with a quick slice of his saber. The other five in the loading bay at least got a chance to fire their blasters, not that it stopped the Jedi. He deflected, dropping one, two, three more in quick succession.

The last two were smarter and moved to either side of him. One set his blaster to stun, making Mace have to dodge while the other continued to shoot lasers, reaching over her shoulder with her other hand and pulling out a string of thermal detonators.

Unpredictability, Mace noted, enjoying it for the second it lasted. The pirate threw the first one, trying to get it into his ship but he sliced it mid-air then leapt forward faster than they could track him, detaching the stunner's head from his body before he rebounded off the wall to do the same with the detonator woman. To his annoyance, she had managed to sling another explosive into his ship before she died, and he didn't have quite enough time to crush it with the force before it went off. He did it soon enough that it didn't tear apart his ship, at least, but it did create a sparking hole in the floor exposing the remains of something that probably was important. 

Something to examine after he had finished off the pirates.

He ran into the corridor, rushing to meet the pirates that were heading his way. The deeper he got into the ship the more the cry in the force pounded into his mind, and despite his shields the feelings appeared before him. The sense was fuzzy with misunderstanding and hurt, but Mace's mind was able to interpret them as sensations of danger and fear, then death. He pushed through the haze, unable to do anything more at the moment and instead focused on the fight.

It was all too simple to find the remaining pirates only half-ready, hastily scrambling to aim and fire before he took their lives with a twitch of his saber. 

Twelve living beings turned to ten, then seven, then four, then two. One hostile and the other the presence that called him. The two were together, and Mace allowed himself one steadying breath before following the force.

He found them near the escape pods, the final pirate lugging a crate and the other being nowhere to be seen. Strange, but they shouldn't be too hard to find.

He cleared his throat, not even bothering to ignite his saber.

"Going somewhere?" He asked, and the weequay jumped, fumbled for his blaster and fired a shot that was so wide Mace didn't even have to move. He held out a hand, and the weapon wrenched out of the pirate's hand and went clattering down the hall behind him.

"There is someone else on this ship." The Jedi continued, when it became clear the weequay was too afraid to say anything. "Tell me where they are."

"Idunno what you talkin about." The pirate stammered, but the flicker of his gaze to the crate gave him away, and blood roared in Mace's ears as he realized that the being calling to him is a child that has been locked in a crate.

His saber flew to his hand and ignited with a single thought.

"Step away." He growled. "And I might let you live." The weequay jumped again, looking wide-eyed at Mace's blade.

Then with surprising speed he whipped a packet off of his belt and scattered its contents to the floor before leaping for a side door.

Mace was faster. He lunged and slammed the pirate into an escape pod, closing the hatch and releasing it. He stepped back, and something small rolled under his boot. Mace looked down and scowled. 

There were deadanators, strong ones, spread all over the floor. They weren't blinking in countdown yet but the pirate must have the activator. The force does not tell him to move so he still has time- exactly how much time Mace didn't plan to stay and find out.

He moved to stand over the crate and administered one sharp blow to the lock before throwing the lid off with one arm, sending it clattering to the floor behind him. The crate was only halfway full; and on the left, caught between the walls of the crate and the objects in it was the lifeform that had been calling out to him.

Mace reached both hands into the crate and wrapped his fingers around an impossibly tiny body, his heart beating painfully when the infant made a small cry as he lifted it out. The baby was human, tan-skinned with wisps of dark brown hair. Its eyes were closed and its face was scrunched, wet with drool and tears.

Mace immediately pulled it to his chest, the motion instinctive after his master made him spend hours in the creche. He peered back in and spied a small blanket on the top of the pile, but before he could reach for it the force flared in warning. His time was up.

Mace whirled, blanket forgotten, and runs. Some small part of his brain remembers to grab the infant's head and pressed it against his shoulder to keep it from bobbling as he raced through the pirate ship, leaping over bodies back to the docking bay. He made it into his ship and slammed his fist on the door controls as the scream of _danger soon_ turns into _danger now_.

Somehow, he managed to throw himself into the pilot's seat and free one hand to start the engines just in time that the explosion didn't break his ship, but the shockwaves sent him barrelling towards the asteroid field at an alarmingly high speed. He whipped the engines to reverse the ship's trajectory and came perilously close to a few rocks before peeling away. The escape pod was not so lucky, as it ran headfirst into an asteroid and disappeared in a small explosion.

Mace brought the ship to a halt clear of the debris and took a breath, letting the rush of adrenaline in his veins drain. In the next moment he realized that the baby was pressing it's head against his neck, whimpering softly, and he could just barely feel it's warm breaths against his skin.

He frowned, looking down at the quiet little body he held against his shoulder. In his experience, babies are supposed to be loud. He always had had a headache coming back from the creche because they screamed or babbled or made some sort of noise. Perhaps this child was different, but in general not making any noise couldn't be a good sign.

He shifted the infant as carefully as he could to cradle it in the crook of his elbow and looked closely to make sure it- She- the force tells him, is not injured. To his relief there was nothing visible: no blood on the soft white jumper or bruises on her tiny face. Her eyes remained closed, however, and that concerned him a bit.

"It's alright." He said, low and as gently as he could, jostling his arm slightly. "You're safe now, little one. Open your eyes."

As he spoke he remembered that she had called to him in the force. Which, logically speaking, meant that she must be force sensitive.

Mace extended his mind to touch the small glow in the force that must be her presence. At the same moment her eyes blinked open and- Her eyes were bright and soulful, and they looked into his like she knew him.

Something in his heart shifts, and a place that he had never thought was empty fills with warmth.

For a moment Mace could do nothing but look at her, lifting a hand to brush the tiny curls on top of her head. In the force she is gentle, brilliant, pure light. And though she's far too young to consciously reach back to him, even to form a structured thought, he felt a spark touch his own mind and for a single, beautiful moment his awareness intertwined with hers and it feels… perfect. 

Mace smiled uncontrollably as he leaned down to tap his forehead gently against hers. She squirmed in his arms and a tiny hand hit his face, making something like tears well up in his throat. He offered her his finger which she immediately grasped, her eyes dancing with reflections of starlight through the viewscreen.

Again the Jedi reached out in the force and skimmed the edges of her presence. This time he was sure she felt it, because a smile grew on her face and she made a small gurgling sound that filled Mace's heart with joy. He extended his mind closer, purposefully touching her awareness with a tinge of the feelings that are warming his chest. She went quiet as she felt it, and for a moment Mace thought that he'd scared her before she opened her mouth and laughs.

The sound is so beautiful Mace forgot to breathe for a moment, and the next thing he knew he's laughing too. How can he not, when this infant is so bright and full of life and made him feel happier than he had ever felt before?

The baby tugged on his finger, waving her hands in the air as their eyes met again. The feeling of rightness was less intense this time, but Mace still marveled at it. He had never thought he would find a force-sensitive child, as most children were scared of him and babies usually plain don't like him. But here this one lay comfortably in his arms, trying to put his finger in her mouth. Mace tugged the appendage out of her grip before she succeeded, resulting in an unhappy whine before she decided to chew on her own hand.

Mace huffed again, watching her for one more moment before he turned his attention to the control panel. The only thing that had been damaged from the pirates was the heating system in the main room, so as long as he stayed in the cockpit they should be fine. The hyperdrive and comms were all online, and Mace hovered his hand between the two controls, considering his options. 

He needed to get this baby back to the temple, that much was certain, and his instincts drew him to take her himself. But he had to think about the mission that had taken him here in the first place. He was at a pivotal point in finishing the task, and by the time he got back to the temple his contact would have been through this system and long gone. 

Even as the thought passed through his mind Mace knew that he must follow the force. He wouldn't be a Jedi if he did anything else. But he won't leave his mission unattended, either. A few taps has the comm set to record and Mace spoke into it.

"This is Knight Mace Windu requesting backup. I've found a force sensitive infant." He glanced down at his foundling, her eyes are closed and she's drooling all over the hand in her mouth. It's adorable, and for a moment Mace felt a pang of sadness for what she's lost today.

"Her parents have been killed by pirates." He continued. "She was the only survivor and was being held captive before I rescued her. I am bringing her to the temple now. As for the mission I was sent on, in a standard cycle there will be a ship passing through the coordinates I have attached to this message. The passengers will have the missing information needed as indicated in my mission reports. Windu, out."

Mace quickly double checked the message before he sent it, then set the hyperdrive with the coordinates for Coruscant. The baby was sleeping, and he held her tight so the jump to lightspeed would not wake her. It's time to take her home.


End file.
